Loss of focus costs Quins rugby teams
This week sees Hillcrest visit the Mighty Quins on Saturday.
LAPSES in concentration cost both Harlequins teams as they failed to make their home ground advantage count against two determined Richards Bay teams at the weekend.
The 2nd team lost 31-20 and the 1st team drew 25-all.
The 2nd team will still be wondering how they managed to lose a match they never really looked like losing on the field.
They made the best start to a match this season, making full use of a strong wind at their back and totally dominated play in the first 15 minutes. Hooker Abrie Herbst crashed over as early as the fifth minute to reward the good start by the team. Richards Bay to their credit scored a neat try of their own to level the scores after 15 minutes.
The first half continued to go the home team’s way as they kept the visitors under pressure through accurate forward play. Richards Bay were under pressure but their back three were in sublime form, on attack all afternoon and turned the half upside down when they ran in two more tries from broken play to take the half time score to 19-5 to the men from the Bay.
In the second half, Richards Bay’s back three again had the home team’s defense in tatters as they ran in another try from far out. With the score at 26-5, the Quins boys started getting their act together and tries were scored by Tiaan van Loggeenberg, Colin Brown and Gavin McArthur to get the team back into the game but Richards Bay sealed the win with a fifth try of the day to take away the points. Overall a decent game of rugby with nine tries scored in the match and a bonus point loss for Harlequins.
The 1st team also played with a strong wind at their backs and were full value for their best half of the season to lead 25-7 at the break. It was the most complete half as the Mighty Quins made the visitors pay for their mistakes with good, constructive play. An opening penalty in the 11th minute gave Quins the early lead, but Richards Bay scored a good team try after a rare venture into the home team’s half to open their account. Thereafter tries by loose forwards Van Zyl Koch and Reginald Kawesa and another by David Woolls had the visitors under pressure as Quins raced into a decent lead of 25-7.
It turned out to be a game of two halves as it was Richards Bay that piled on the pressure with the strong wind at their backs. The Quins defence was solid after conceding two long range penalties as Richards Bay cut the lead to 25-13. Then in the last 10 minutes, the game was turned on its head when mercurial prop Jason van Eeden and flankers Van Zyl Koch and Reginald Kawesa were forced off the field with injuries. Richards Bay capitalised on the home team’s misfortune and scored two late tries to level the scores at 25-all. It remained like that in a tense last five minutes, much to the relief or disappointment of the home supporters. At the end of the day, there is much to be positive about with the performance and it was not a loss after the horrid start to the season. The Quins boys have still not lost in their last three outings.
This week sees Hillcrest visit the Mighty Quins on Saturday. They will be confident after comfortably disposing of Ballito Dolphins last week. Matches start at 2pm and 3.30pm.
